Water efficiency: using water wisely

Water is a precious resource. Not only is it the main ingredient in our drinks and central to Coca-Cola European Partners' manufacturing processes but it’s also essential for growing many of the ingredients we use.

We want to be the leader in water efficiency, with a target of 1.2 litres of water for every litre of product we make by 2020.

• Protecting our local sources of water
• Reducing the amount of water used in the manufacturing of our products through water efficiency
• Recycling water in the Coca-Cola system's manufacturing processes and returning wastewater to the environment at a level that supports aquatic life
• Replenishing and protecting water sources in areas of water risk by working with stakeholders and investing in community projects.

We continue to make progress in our three year partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to improve the quality and quantity of water in the River Cray, Sidcup, which is close to our bottling plant, and in the River Nar, where a high proportion of the sugar beet used in our drinks is grown.

All our products contain agricultural ingredients and our business depends on the long term availability of these crops. In particular, we rely on both sugar beet and sugar cane. We are working with stakeholders to understand the different environmental effects of these two ingredients and their supply chains, how these can be mitigated, and how to support the wider sugar industry in taking action.